Basic tenses for EFL students

1. ESO-4 English Department / CPI Tino Grandío Revision of tenses: form and use
Present simple (go/goes)
Form Use Examples
 affirmative: subject + infinitive (+3
rd
p –
(e)s)
 negative: subject + don’t/doesn’t +
infinitive
 question: do/does + subject + infinitive
 Remember that we only add the –(e)s in
the 3
rd
person affirmative form
 Remember that be is an exception: am /
is / are
 facts and permanent states.
 habits and routines
 1
st
type conditional sentences
 stative verbs that are not used in the
pres. cont. (see, hear, believe, want,
know, understand, think, like, love...)
 Key words: how often / always /
sometimes / often / never / usually /
every day / once a week / twice a
month... / if (in conditional sentences)
 Snow melts at 0ºC.
 Harry lives in Liverpool.
 My dog plays football with us.
 Daniel washes his jacket every week.
 We don’t like football.
 She doesn’t understand baseball.
 Do you enjoy dining out?
 Does Rafael Nadal train in the morning?
 If you drink too much you’ll have to go to
the toilet.
Present continuous (am/is/are going)
Form Use Examples
 subject + am / is / are + (not) + -ing
 Remember the rules for -ing
 actions happening at the moment of
speaking
 Key words: now / at the moment
 My sister is watching TV now.
 They aren’t listening to me.
 I’m not sleeping now.
Past simple (went)
Form Use Examples
 affirmative: subject + past verb
 negative: subject + didn’t + verb
 question: did + subject + verb
 Remember that in the affirmative we use
the –ed form in regular verbs and the
form from the second column in irregular
ones. In the negative and interrogative
we only need the infinitive
 actions completed at a specific time in
the past (finished action + finished time)
 2
nd
type conditional sentences
 Key words: when / yesterday / last
week / in 2009 / if (in conditional
sentences)
 I played cards with them.
 We went for a walk last week.
 She didn’t come with me last night.
 My friends didn’t understand the mistake.
 Did you like the match?
 If you read the book you’d learn to cook.
 If you didn’t arrive so late, your boss would
be happy with you.
Past continuous (was going)
Form Use Examples
 subject + was / were + (not) + -ing
 Remember the rules for -ing
 actions in progress at a particular time
in the past
 Key words: while / as / at 9 o’clock (or
any other time)
 They were watching TV while I was
studying Music.
 She wasn’t paying attention
 Were they listening to the radio as they
were crossing the road?
Present perfect (have/has gone)
Form Use Examples
 subject + have/has + (not) + past
participle
 Remember that the past participle is
made with an –ed in regular verbs and
the form from the third column in
irregular ones
 We need the past participle in the
affirmative, negative and interrogative
 actions completed in the past in an
unspecified time or within a period that
gets to the present
 actions completed in the past that are
still relevant in the present
 actions that started in the past that
continue up to the present or
completed at an unspecified time
 Key words: already / just / yet / since /
for / how long / ever / this year-week...
 We have never been to Italy.
 She has already understood the exercise.
 We haven’t done it yet.
 They have lived in Guntín for a long time .
 They have lived in Guntín since 2009.
 Have you ever eaten sushi?
Past perfect (had gone)
Form Use Form
 subject + had (not) + past participle  actions finished before a past time or
action
 3
rd
type conditional sentences
 Key words: if
 He hadn’t finished the exercise when the
bell rang.
 If you had come earlier we would have
gone with you.

2. Future simple (will go)
Form Use Form
 subject + will / won’t + infinitive  Instant decisions at the time of
speaking.
 Predictions.
 1
st
type conditional sentences
 Key words: I think / if
 I’m cold. I’ll close the window.
 I think I won’t go to the party.
 Will you come with me?
 If you have a minute I’ll show you how to
make a presentation.
Future progressive/continuous (will be going)
Form Use Form
 subject + will / won’t + be + -ing  actions in progress at a certain time in
the future
 Key words: by this time
 By this time next week we will be taking
the driving test.
 Will they be flying to Rome tomorrow at 6?
Going to (am/is/are going to go)
Form Use Examples
 subject + am/is/are (not) + going to +
infinitive
 future plans and intentions when we
have already decided what to do
 predictions based on real facts
 Key words: a future time expression
 I have bought some sandwiches. We are
going to have a picnic this afternoon.
 Look at the clouds! It’s going to rain.
 She’s written the invitations. She’s
probably going to invite all her classmates.
Conditional (would go)
Form Use Examples
 subject + would / wouldn’t + infinitive  Offerings and requests
 2nd type conditional sentences
 Key words: if
 Would you like to come with us?
 If you had a minute I’d show you how to
make a presentation.
Perfect conditional (would have gone)
Form Use Examples
 subject + would / wouldn’t + have +
infinitive
 3rd type conditional sentences
 Key words: if
 I would have gone if he had told me where.
 He wouldn’t have failed if he had studied
harder.
SPELLING RULES:
Spelling rules for 3rd
person singular (affirmative only) - Present simple
Rule Base form 3rd
person form
 Most verbs add –s to the infinitive form  walk, read, play  walks, reads, plays
 Verbs ending in –s / -sh / -ch / -x / -o + -es  wash, fix, go  washes, fixes, goes
 Verbs ending in consonant + -y -ies  study  studies
Spelling rules for adding –ing to the verb - Present & past continuous
Rule Base form 3rd
person form
 Most verbs add –ing to the infinitive form  walk, read, play,
study
 walking, reading,
playing, studying
 Verbs ending in –e drop the –e and add -ing  come, drive  coming, driving
 Monosyllabic verbs (and two-syllable verbs with the stress on the last syllable)
ending with a vowel + a consonant double the final consonant and add -ing
 run, sit, begin  running, sitting,
beginning
 Verbs ending in –l add -ling  travel  travelling
 Verbs ending in –ie change the –ie to –y and add -ing  die, lie  dying, lying
Spelling rules for adding –ed to the verb – Past simple affirmative (regular verbs only)
Rule Base form 3rd
person form
 Most verbs add –ed to the infinitive  walk, play  walked, played
 Verbs ending in –e add -d  arrive, live  arrived, lived
 Monosyllabic verbs (and two-syllable verbs with the stress on the last syllable)
ending with a vowel + a consonant double the final consonant and add -ed
 stop, rob, prefer  stopped, robbed,
preferred
 Verbs ending in –l add -led  travel  travelled
 Verbs ending in consonant + -y -ied  study  studied